While she already had a promising career ahead before landing the role of Sophia Burset in Orange Is the New Black, joining the stellar cast on what was once Netflix’s highest-rated show has opened all kinds of new opportunities for Laverne Cox.
The outspoken LGBTQ+ activist and actress swiped up a handful of awards for the character, including an Emmy award for Outstanding Special Class Special in 2015 and a Screen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series — a feat she accomplished twice in a row (2015 and 2016).
Cox’s career has skyrocketed since her exposure on Netflix, and since OITNB’s final run with season 7 in 2019, the 48-year-old has stayed booked and busy with little to no chance of her career slowing down anytime soon. So how much is Cox’s net worth today and how has she been making her money since OITNB ended? Here’s the lowdown…
Laverne Cox’s Net Worth
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Cox is worth an impressive $4 million, with most of her fortune coming from her success on Netflix.
It’s rumored that Cox was making less than $30,000 per episode before she would return for a third series, which supposedly saw her salary bumped to $60,000 per episode.
By season 3, Netflix clearly knew they had a hit show on their hands, so doubling on the salaries of its lead stars came as no surprise.
While Cox had already appeared in a series of shows before OITNB, she admitted in an interview with Women’s Health magazine that the pay was never enough for her to consider acting a full-time job. In fact, things were so bad that she often found herself having very little money left after paying her bills.
“Just a few years ago, I was still struggling to pay my rent,” she said. “I was thinking of going back to graduate school [for women's studies] actually because I hadn’t had an acting role for nine months. All the success just reminds me of how far I have come and how much work is still yet to be done.”
And what a turnout she has made because since landing her career breakout in 2013, Cox has never stopped working.
In 2017, she starred in the CBS series Doubt alongside Katherine Heigl and Dule Hill, and while the show seemed very promising, the network decided not to renew it for a second series.
Still, Cox would have made a significant amount just for being cast in a syndicated television series — on top of being a recurring cast member on one of the hottest shows on Netflix.
Speaking about what had made her want to take on the role of playing a lawyer on the show, the LGBTQ+ activist told Variety in 2017, “I’ve always wanted to play a lawyer, but when I was approached with this script I saw that Joan Rater and Tony Phalen had written this script, I was a huge fan of their work on Grey’s Anatomy."
“They did such an amazing job of writing these characters that were iconic. The years that they were on ‘Grey’s,’ the show was at the height of McDreamy, McSteamy, the Snow Patrol song, “Choose me” — all those moments that they created were so incredible.
She concluded, “So getting to work with show-runners of that caliber was the big draw. But I’ve really wanted to play a lawyer and do something different. The opportunity to be on network television, too, was really exciting to me. Netflix is awesome, Netflix has changed the world. But it’s a change to have a broadcast audience and have a different experience.”
Cox also had a recurring role playing Cousin Sheena in The Mindy Project before landing her biggest part in a blockbuster flick after being cast in the 2019 Charlie’s Angels reboot.
She’s currently filming her next TV series titled Inventing Anna before she commences work on the comedy show Clean Slate with actor George Wallace.
Cox is also a best-selling author, who published her brutally honest book, Daring to Be Myself: A Memoir, back in 2015.
In May 2021, it was announced that the actress had signed a deal with the E! network that will see her take over Giuliana Rancic’s position as host of Live From E!
"Laverne Cox is a risktaker, groundbreaking pioneer, and a fashion tour de force," executive vice president of E! News, Jean Neal, said in a statement.
“As we continue to evolve the way we cover Hollywood's biggest nights, Laverne's passion for, and extensive knowledge of, the fashion community resonates with our audience and we look forward to seeing her shine on the other side of the velvet rope."
It’s fair to say that Cox’s net worth is only going to continue rising from here.